Communication and reporting cadence
One standing call a month, one written report, and a fast async channel in between fits most engagements: enough to stay aligned, not so much that you pay senior people to sit in meetings. That mirrors where the industry has landed: monthly is the standard reporting baseline, and stronger agencies pair it with lighter, more frequent updates rather than one large monthly report. Weekly is for a launch window or a crisis. Quarterly is too slow; by the time you spot drift, a third of the contract is already spent.
The call and the report do different jobs. The report is the record: what went out, what landed, what it earned. (What belongs inside that report is covered in the Measurement section of this handbook.) The call is where you decide and redirect. If the agency spends the hour reading the report aloud, push back: the report should land in your inbox before the meeting, and the meeting should start from decisions, not recaps.
Match the rhythm to the moment, not to a default:
- Steady-state - one monthly call, one monthly written report, async (email or Slack) for anything time-sensitive
- Launch or active campaign - weekly check-ins for the four to six weeks around the date, then drop back
- Crisis - daily or same-hour contact until it cools, no agenda required
- Quiet stretch - a written update is enough; do not manufacture a meeting to fill the slot
Cadence is a two-way commitment. What to demand, and what only you can supply:
| You should expect | You have to supply |
|---|---|
| One named contact, not a rotating cast | A decision-maker on the call, not a forwarder |
| A same-day reply on anything a reporter touches | Answers fast enough to hold that window |
| A report that lands before the call, not during it | Reading it before you show up |
| An honest "nothing landed this month, here's why" | Tolerance for that honesty so they keep telling you |
The test of any cadence is whether the meeting changes anything. If three calls in a row end with the same plan they started with, drop to a written update and take the hour back. And remember that the standing call only sets the floor. What actually decides outcomes is how fast both sides answer between meetings, which is the subject of the responsiveness page.